ABOUT

Where It All Began

In 1989, the “Funtime Disco” was the place to be — at least according to my seven-year-old self.

My sister and I transformed my bedroom into an all-afternoon disco with flashing lights, non-stop music and dancing. Our parents were charged 50p entry, served lemon squash in wine glasses, and treated to an unforgettable balloon drop.

Looking back, that may have been the beginning.

As I grew older I remained captivated by music, dancing and the history of the disco movement — particularly the loft parties of New York in the 1970s where balloons were often part of the atmosphere.

Naturally, balloons began appearing at my own parties in Norwich. My bedsit on St Gregory’s Green was only three metres square, but I pushed the furniture aside, folded the bed against the wall and covered the ceiling with balloons.

What I noticed was the effect they had on people.

Guests would arrive, see the room filled with balloons, and something shifted. Faces lifted. Shoulders relaxed. The unspoken message seemed to be:

you’re allowed to celebrate here.

Eventually the parties moved to other venues and dance floors around the city, and decorating those spaces became a quiet obsession.

After an unexpected period of ill health in 2017, I decided life was too short to ignore the things that bring joy. I trained professionally in balloon design and began building DECK — turning a long-standing passion into a creative business.